Peyton Manning: “I Certainly Want To Continue To Play”

One of the underlying topics of the Super Bowl is the future of Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning.

Manning of course will undergo a off-season neck exam that will definitely play a huge part in whether or not he returns to Denver next season.

Manning addressed his future somewhat after the Broncos arrived in New York first. According to Pro Football Talk, Manning will tread lightly considering he does have an exam, but if things check out, Manning told the media he certainly “wants to continue to play in the NFL.”

“Well, I know there’s a number of players that have walked away as champions, and I’m sure that’s a great feeling for those people. John Elway, Ray Lewis did it last year, Michael Strahan.

“In talking to Ray Lewis and in talking to John Elway, they couldn’t play anymore. That was all they had to give. They truly left it all out there.

“I certainly had a career change two years ago with my injury, with changing teams, and so I truly have been kind of a one-year-at-a-time basis. So I really have no plans beyond this game, had no plans coming into this season beyond this year. I think that’s the healthy way to approach kind of your career at this stage.

“I still enjoy playing football. I feel a little better than I thought I would at this point coming off that surgery. I still enjoy the preparation part of it, the work part of it. Everybody enjoys the games, everybody’s going to be excited to play in a Super Bowl, but I think when you still enjoy the preparation and the work part of it, I think you probably still ought to be doing that.

“I think as soon as I stop enjoying it, if I can’t produce, if I can’t help the team, that’s when I’ll stop playing. If that’s next year, maybe it is. But I certainly want to continue to keep playing.”